The Design Behind a Metal Home: 5 Key Components
When you think of the classic American home, you picture a wood-frame home with a white picket fence, right? While that’s been true for years, economic and ecological pressures shift the architectural standard closer to a new normal every day.
If you’re looking for a new house, it’s easier than ever to settle down in a metal home. A metal structure might sound strange or uncomfortable if you’re a fan of the residential construction status quo.
The truth is that metal building homes are just as comfortable as traditional houses. They have some other great benefits, too, so take a look at this list to learn more about the design of metal homes.
1. Design With Metal in Mind
It’s true that living in a metal home isn’t much different than living in a traditional wood home unless you want it to be. Yet, it’s important to keep the material in mind when you design metal houses.
Some metal homes aim to look like traditional wood-frame buildings. However, you also have an exciting opportunity to create a chic modern or futuristic look.
Metal is a bendable building material. This gives you more freedom to play with curves and other interesting design elements. Decide whether you’re using shiny metal or painting the structure, too.
Looking forward, a successful interesting home design sells for a high price. A very interesting and well-made home could even become famous.
Make sure to consider the effect of light on metal surfaces. The way passive heating from the sun affects metal houses is different than how the sun warns traditional wood houses. A metal building that absorbs too much sunlight and heats the interior is dangerous.
You need to make sure your metal home is designed with enough insulation for cold weather, too. If temperatures drop, a poorly insulated metal building gets very cold. While insulation is also important for traditional houses, metal’s properties mean you should be extra aware.
2. Materials for a Metal Home Are Eco-Friendly
As the world realizes the impact of climate change, people are trying to live in an environmentally-conscious way. But there’s no avoiding it: Building projects make a lot of waste.
As the building crew shapes materials to match the design, they make scraps. Bent nails and other mistakes add to the trash. You make even more waste if you demolish something to build a new structure at the same site.
Reusing and recycling building materials makes projects less wasteful. Reclaimed wood, bricks, and stones are popular in modern home design.
Metal is especially suited for recycling. The ability to bend, melt, and mold metal means you can reuse most metal waste. One eco-friendly trend is using old metal shipping containers as the walls of the home.
3. Portable Metal Houses and the Best Build Sites
The average wood-frame house is fixed to the ground on a concrete foundation. Yet, mobile houses are more popular in recent days as the media focuses on tiny homes, many of which are movable. Downsized, mobile living can also have less of an environmental impact and is often less expensive than living in a standard-sized house.
Metal is a good material for a movable building because it is lightweight and strong. This means that it is easy to lift and transport, and sturdy enough to handle being taken on the road. You might be able to tow a small home yourself, but larger houses must be carried by semi-truck.
Whether you’re securing your home to the ground for good or choosing a place to park for a while, location matters. That’s always true when choosing a community to live in, but you also need to think about the exact spot where you put your house.
Observe the location and see how light hits it at different times of the day. If you can, get information about what kind of light the space gets in different seasons. The way light hits your home can lower your heating and cooling bills or raise them, so it’s worth putting in the effort.
A few other considerations are trees, fire risk, floodplains, and other natural features. To get the full picture, it’s a good idea to talk to someone who evaluates sites for a living before buying land.
4. Making the Metal House Livable
Custom metal buildings have many unique, favorable properties. However, the nicest-looking houses aren’t worth the money if they’re no good for living in.
As with wood frame housing, you need to consider insulation and what material you use for the walls. Many builders use drywall and the same kinds of insulation you’d find in a standard home in metal building walls.
In some cases, it’s okay to leave the metal wall exposed. This saves money and is an aesthetic feature. If you’re interested in adding that feature to your metal home design, pay even more attention to lighting and temperatures in the area.
5. Interior Design in Metal Building Homes
Because steel beams and metal walls are thinner than wood, you get more interior space in the same area. That’s why for metal building homes, interior design is especially important.
Most metal buildings look cold and industrial from the outside. Consider balancing that look with warm, welcoming colors and furniture indoors.
Or, you may be interested in the spaceship look You could play it up with subtle, sleek design elements and modern furniture. If you prefer a campy look inside, a unique metal home is also a great chance to go wild decorating with your favorite sci-fi collectables and kitsch.
No matter what aesthetic you go with, interior design for a metal building is no easy task. The exterior of metal buildings make strong statements, so it’s up to you to match that impact with something great inside. If you’re not experienced in interior design, it’s a good idea to get in touch with a professional to style your dream home.
Perfect Your Next Design Project
Now that you know more about how to design a metal home, you can start your own metal house project. It’s a great time to jump in on the metal building trend and reap its unique benefits.
For all the information you need to perfect your next building project, take a look around our site. We have all of the tips and tricks you need for a smooth build process right here.